When sophomore Lynnsey Molinaro told a group of classmates how she'd almost run over a child while driving down a street in town, the group was motivated to do something to protect children from such a tragedy.

With the help of classmates Kathryn Cook, Megan Souto, Aryn Fields and Bryan Williams, Molinaro began a project to make city streets safer for children. The group determined where "Children at Play" signs were needed by surveying families and mapping areas where large numbers of children live and play.

The group is part of the second period Environmental and Spatial Technology (EAST) Lab at Russellville High School, a class where students use technology to complete service projects for their school or community, teacher Jennifer Burroughs said.

"This project does just that," Burroughs said. "They have used the resources available in class to reach the goal of making Russellville a safer place for children. They have also learned skills such as communication, problem-solving, and teamwork, which are all goals of the EAST Environment."

The students wrote a survey that was distributed to second- and fourth-grade students at Sequoyah and Dwight elementary schools. The survey, according to Fields, asked parents how many children were in the home and whether a "Children at Play" sign was located on their street.

According to Fields, approximately 80 percent of the surveys were returned, and the EAST students used the surveys to mark streets where signs were located on a large map of the city.

"We mapped out how many kids were on each street, if a sign was there, and then we determined where we thought signs should be," she said.

When they knew how many signs they needed, the group still had to find funds to purchase the signs. They solicited various businesses in the community but were unsuccessful in getting the money that way.

Fields explained they turned to their school.

"We asked organizations at school to donate money to purchase signs," she said. "So far, we have eight signs donated, all from different student organizations."

Organizations that have donated to the cause include National Honor Society, Beta Club, Spanish Club, Key Club, Drama Club, Future Business Leaders of America and Deca. Fields also said students from the EAST lab donated money to purchase one sign.

The group's initial goal was to place 10 signs, but eventually, the students hope to expand the project to other areas of the city.

Fields said she is proud of what she and her classmates have accomplished.

"When we started out, we were all just looking for something to do [for a project]," she said. "But the more I drive around now, I see there are children playing. Now I realize there is a danger when people drive fast."

Souto agreed.

"I wanted to do this project because I felt there was a need for more signs to be put up," she said. "After I heard Lynnsey's story, it made me think of how people aren't very aware of children sometimes.

"This project has accomplished many things. We have successfully completed our project, which we thought was going to take forever. It will help the community be a safer place."

Molinaro said the group had a few obstacles to overcome along the way, although she said she feels the project has been a success.

"When getting started with the project, we didn't think that we would have many obstacles, but we ended up running into a few," Molinaro said. "We had problems with our map size and we also had problems finding people to donate money for the 'Children at Play' signs. Thanks to Russellville High School clubs, we recently reached our goal for buying signs.

"Our project made the town a safer place for kids to play. I believe that we made a difference to our town, by making our streets safer for the kids."

Cook said she enjoyed working on the project and making a difference in the community.

Burroughs also said she was pleased with the students' work.

"I am very proud of what the students have accomplished," Burroughs said. "They have taken an idea to make their city safer for children and made it a reality."

She said the project has not only increased their awareness of safety issues in the community but has also sharpened skills such as communication and professionalism.

"While working on the project they have interacted with several groups of people that students do not normally interact with and have handled the interactions in a very professional manner," Burroughs said. "They have contacted principals, businesses, and city officials. I am also proud that they have involved the efforts of their fellow students. They have made this more then just a class project, but a school project."

Fields said she believes the project will make a difference.

"I'm going to enjoy driving down the road seeing a 'Children at Play' sign, and knowing it was from our group," Fields said.